Awaken
by BrokenFantasy666
Summary: William McKinley has been through alot, but when a shooting happenes that leaves a certian Latina comatose, how will the school and most importantly Rachel, handle the aftermath? Pezberry femslash
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first Pezberry fic and i am quite scared about how it will turn out. First though let me make a few announcements.**

**1) This story's insperation came from a drabble I read by Purrpickle. The first 100 or so words are in fact that very same drabble.**

**2) I did in fact get permission to use the drabble.**

**3) I dont know how often I will update but reviews will definatly get me foucused on writing it more. So if you want more chapters let me know what you think.**

**4) Not all my chapters will be this short, in fact hopefully they will come out more then at least 1500 words, but no garuntees.**

**ENJOY!**

**(i dont own glee, or there would be pezberry lots of pezberry)**

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><p>Jacob Ben-Israel finally snapped. He found Rachel at her locker and pulled out a gun. Someone screamed. She turned around.<p>

He aimed. She froze. He fired.

He missed.

The girl next to Rachel shouted something.

Jacob aimed again.

He shot the wrong girl. A security guard tackled him when he started laughing hysterically.

Rachel held Santana as she convulsed. Scared eyes pleaded for Rachel to tell her everything was going to be okay, wet coughs thick with blood. Rachel buried her face into Santana's hair, sobbing. She begged Santana to forgive her.

Fingers spasmed in Rachel's grip then went limp.

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><p>Three weeks have passed since the McKinley high shooting and the effects are still being felt. Four students had been killed, and two injured before Jacob Ben-Israel had been stopped.<p>

Rachel Berry walked down the hallways of William McKinley with her head hung on her shoulders, her arms just barely holding up the books she had for class and her feet only lifting the minimal amount needed to shuffle down the linoleum hallways.

It was her first day back to school since she watched Santana Lopez get shot and the memories where still so fresh in her mind it felt as if had only happened seconds ago.

_She looked the girl in the eyes and felt her body go limp, tears in her eyes as she whispered everything she could to get the girl to wake up after her eyes had closed. She told the girl things she had promised herself she would never admit out loud._

_Rachel had held the girl as tightly as possible, her hand pressed as tightly as she could against the bleeding hole in Santana's torso. She was like that for only a few minutes when a group of paramedics had surrounded her and were talking her down from her hysterical fit as they removed the Latina from her arms and worked as fast as they could to get her to the ambulance that waited outside. They took Rachel to a different vehicle, running checks and asking questions the entire ride to the Lima General Hospital. _

Shaking herself out of the cold memories Rachel trudged herself through the throngs of people, some of whom stepped out her way, most of whom stopped mid conversation to stare at her. She knew what the rumors where surrounding her, she had been told by Kurt and Finn, and (surprisingly) Quinn.

When the student body had discovered Rachel had spent every waking moment, and every moment between those, in a cold and sterile white hospital room watching over a comatose Santana Lopez, words had been spread around.

Coming to school had been her Dad's idea, he had convinced her that under no terms was she to miss an entire month of school, and reminded her that if she ever wanted to go to New York, she would have to return to William McKinley. So she had begrudgingly agreed to returning, and the only thing she looked forward to was the end of the day, so she could drive back to the hospital and sit by Santana's side and wait, and pray, and hope against hope, for any indication that the Latina girl that she loved with every fiber of her being…would wake up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Glee, otherwise Pezberry would be cannon.**

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><p>Rachel drifted into the next moth through a haze of tears and nightmares. She spent her days at school, doing her best to keep herself together, as well as Brittany, Quinn, Puck and most surprisingly Sue.<p>

Brittany had taken it the hardest, aside from herself that is. Lost was her happy bubbly self, replaced with a broken shell that more often than not sported puffy red eyes and mascara stained cheeks. Just as Rachel has, Brittany spent a lot of time at the hospital, beside Santana's bed, though when she wasn't at the hospital she was with Artie, her paraplegic boyfriend. It's the only time Rachel really sees the blond ex-cheerio smile, though they are small and barely there but Rachel can see them. She is happy that Artie has been there for Brittany, she only wished she could have someone like that.

Quinn had slipped into a visage of anger, she became a meaner HBIC; she was easily aggravated and took out all her feelings on the cheerios and any student that dared to even consider giving a slushy facial to anyone. After what had happened with Jacob Ben-Israel any and all forms of bullying had been dealt with harshly or at least for the first week and a half. When the school fell back into its norm, Quinn focused all her anger and pain at keeping the hallways safe for everyone, except the bullies. That of course was only in public, in the halls of McKinley, when she was at home, or with Rachel in Santana's hospital room she cried until her eyes hurt then cried some more.

Puck became the model student; he attended every class and did his homework, the change had happened so suddenly no one knew how to take it. He stopped walking around like he was a sex-god and even erased every single number he had that was connected to the name of any girl he had any type of sexual relationship with. Even going as far as deleting ever bit of porn on his laptop, this had scared Rachel the most, she missed the wise cracking Noah Puckerman that had often referred to her as his fellow hot Jew.

The most surprising of everything had been Sue though; the coach of the Cheerios had become a ghost of her former self, still hard and brutal to her cheerleaders during practice she had adopted and almost motherly persona to the Glee kids. She and Mr. Schu had become almost friends almost, though there was still a lot of tension between them but it had evened out since the incident. Rachel was often called into the coach's office to listen to her rant, and scream and eventually break down into sobs. For what reason the tiny brunette could only imagine.

This had all continued for weeks, all the while Santana slept, her body slowly recovering after a surgery to remove the bullet that had missed her heart by only a few centimeters. After the second month things had begun a slow decline back to normalcy for everyone, everyone except Rachel. She still went to the hospital every day and sat beside Santana, sometimes reading to her, other times just holding the girls hand, even going so far as to plead the girl to wake up as she cried, and told her that she loved her and she wouldn't hide it anymore.

Through it all Rachel had developed an odd relationship with Santana's dad, the doctor had been with her the whole time, and had even confronted the star about her feelings toward his daughter. The two of them had had many talks, about school, Glee in particular, and about the past Rachel and Santana had shared. She told him multiple times that even though it had been hard, she never held the Latina at fault.

And so it continued, Rachel would go through the school days with life for everyone else back to normal; she would fight for her solos in Glee, though without as much conviction as before, she would work hard to keep her grades up and her spirits higher. When the day was over she would go home to do her homework, eat with her dads then go to the hospital to sit with Santana and eventually fall asleep by her bed.

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><p>That where Rachel was the night Santana showed her first sign of being aware, after a hard session of crying and telling the girl she loved her, Rachel had ended her tirade with a simple phrase.<p>

"I love you Tana, I always have, if you can hear me please do something," She choked out, her forehead resting against the edge of the bed, "Do something, anything, I love you so much." Rachel's words were a weak whisper in the sterile air of the hospital room.

She closed her eyes, resigned to get some sleep before the sun rose when she felt it. It was only a slight movement, just a minute twitch of her index finger. That subtle movement was like a bolt of lightning coursing through her skin and along the veins of her hand. Her head shot up to look at Santana and she gasped when she saw the girls eyes crack open just slightly then close again.

"Dr. Lopez!" Rachel shouted, her voice high pitched and shaky, "Dr. Lopez, nurse, someone!"

It only took a few seconds of shouting for red head nurse to come rushing in followed shortly by Dr. Lopez. The nurse busied herself checking the monitors and IVs while Dr. Lopez knelt in front of Rachel.

"Rachel, what wrong what happened?" He asked taking the girl gently by her shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

Rachel took a few breaths first, calming her pounding heart (and secretly relishing in the fire that coursed through her veins from the minute touch of Santana's finger) before she let out a shaky reply.

"I was talking, well crying, sobbing really, and requesting through vast amounts of pleading for Tana to regain consciousness from her comatose state of sleep,-" She rambled on, being interrupted by a low chuckle from Dr. Lopez.

"I may be a doctor Rachel, but I am still constantly astounded by your vast vocabulary, but for now, let's get to the point." He said kindly and filled with a fatherly love.

Rachel blushed slightly and nodded, took another slow breath and looked the Latino man in his eyes, "She stirred Dr. Lopez,

Her finger moved and her eyes opened. Just slightly, but…she woke up…for just a second…

She was aware."

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><p><strong>AN: Okay so, two chapters done before midnight. I'm proud of my self. And thank you those of you that have alerted my story already. Remember I need reviews to keep going ;)<strong>

**Oh and the voice in my head that sounds eerily like Morgan Freeman says "Don't forget to smile."**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you so much every one of you who have alerted my story and to those of you who have reviewed...THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD! XD**

**Now on to the next chapter which is Santana's POV just before she was shot leading up to her tiny bit of awakening. ENJOY**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee (unfortunately)**

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><p>Santana woke up that day with a firm determination. She was going to walk right up to manha-…to Rachel…and kiss her as hard as she possibly could. She dressed in her cheerios uniform and tied her ponytail up and looked at herself in the mirror, smirking at her own devilishly hot reflection.<p>

"Yous a hot bitch Lopez, now go gets the girl." She said to herself and walked out of her room and out to her car to drive to McKinley for her ass-crack-of-dawn practice the Coach Sylvester vehemently repeated was mandatory, and anyone who didn't show was going to wish they had, with every muscle fiber of their body.

So as she made her way to McKinley Santana thought hard about how she would approach first her soon to be ex Ashley, and then how to approach Rachel, the tiny diva that made her blush when their eyes met, who made her melt when she sang, and despite her annoyingly **LONG** rants and inability to use less the one hundred and fifty words whenever she said anything.

These distracting thoughts had earned her twenty five suicides and fifteen laps around the football field, so when she entered the locker room she fell exhausted on one of the benches covered in sweat, with hair matted to her forehead and chest raising and falling heavily as her lungs burned for oxygen. She shakily rose to her feet after a few minutes of resting and stripped to wash herself then dressed in a fresh uniform feeling confident….and absolutely terrified.

Taking a deep breath she adopted her HBIC scowl and left the locker room holding her books in her arms, owning the hallways as Brittany joined her on the left and Quinn on her right. They veritably parted the red sea of students, as the Unholy Trio they commanded respect through fear, as the student body almost slammed themselves into their lockers to give the three cheerios a clear hall to walk through.

"Santana, I have heard rumors that you and Ashley split up during practice today causing the girl to run sobbing through the halls, any comments?" Jacob Ben-Israel shouted, mic in hand and AV club lackey behind him acting as a camera man.

"Jewfro, your invading my breathing air, walk away." Santana growled harshly at the nerdy Jewish junior.

Jacob shook off the comment and kept pace with the three cheerleaders still holding out the mic, "But Santana, if you're single now does this mean you will be attempting to seduce and take advantage of a one Rachel Barbra Berry, rumored crush of yours?" He asked.

That comment had actually caused the Latina to blush furiously and stop suddenly turning on the lanky boy, "Listen Isra-lame Von No-nuts, who or what I might be doing now that I am single is no business of yours. Now how about to go feed your need to entertain yourself and find a real hobby that doesn't involve irritating the piss out of the entire student body, how's that sound?." She snaps before turning on her heel and continuing down the hall to Rachel's locker, Brittany and Quinn in tow.

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><p>Jacob stood still, frozen in place; his arms limp at his side mic dropping to the floor. He turned to his camera man and told him to go ahead and get to class. From there he started a slow walk to his locker, tears starting to fall down his face at his recent humiliation at the hands of another popular kid. By the time he got to his locker he was sobbing so hard he could barely put in his combination to open his locker, he reached in the bag he had stuffed in there and pulled out his only option. His mind had finally snapped and he would take revenge on everyone that had ever pissed on him (figuratively) in this hell hole of a school.<p>

He already had list made up as he shoved the gun onto his backpack, Azimo, Krovsky, Jones, Smith, and Lopez. He knew where each student was, and how to hit each one to achieve maximum pain. So he went to class, waiting patiently for lunch, which he shared with each of them, to finally get his revenge.

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><p>Santana still hadn't had a chance to get to Rachel, by the time she dealt with the warning bell had run and she needed to get to homeroom, the only class she shared with the diminutive diva before the afternoon was lunch, so she was forced to wait. This of course caused her to think, then over think, then convince herself against talking to her, then convince herself that this was her only chance. Needless to say her mind was like a garbage disposal, completely filled with chopped up bits of thought. So spending during History she sorted out her thoughts and cemented her will to talking to Rachel before lunch was over.<p>

This is when she found herself approaching the tiny diva as she switched her books out for afternoon classes. Putting her hand against the locker she smiled when the diva noticed her and smiled.

"So RuPa-…I mean…Berry...What's up with you?" She asked trying to be as casual as possible, despite the thrumming of her heart in her chest.

Rachel looked at Santana, astonished at the approach, and initiation of conversation, even more so by the correction she made when she had been about to insult her. "I am preparing the literary books I will need for the next few classes of the school day." She replied, throwing on her own face of indifference.

Santana snorted softly, "Do you ever talk in less than an essay Berry?" She asked her tone flirty.

Rachel was about to reply when they were interrupted by a hysteric scream down the hall, she turned to find Jacob Ben-Israel looking right at her, gun pointed directly at her.

Santana watched in horror as the gun went off, only just missing Rachel by a few inches. She had no idea what possessed her to move like she did…no that's wrong, she knew exactly what it was. Santana moved automatically, she grabbed Rachel and pushed her aside, the movement causing her to step directly into the path of Jacob Ben-Israel's next shot, a shot that would have been fatal had it hit Rachel.

She felt the sharp pain; she felt the invasive cold, as well as the burning warmth of her blood as it poured out of her. She faintly heard Rachel calling for her, and watched as her vision faded into blackness, the list image burned into her mind being the tear streaked face of the girl she loved.

_I love you Rachel, don't leave me._

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><p>Blackness, there was nothing around, just herself and her thoughts. She felt pain sometimes, but not often enough. Was this death? Is this what Heaven looked like, or was it Hell?<p>

Santana was aware though, she heard sounds every now and then, felt things. She guessed she must be dead then, because she knew who she was. Her name was Santana Maria Lopez, her mother was Maria Gabriella Lopez, and her father was Dr. Tomas Guillermo Lopez. She was an only child, she was a cheerleader (cheerio), also a singer and a dancer in the New Directions glee club. She was also gay, and in love with a tiny diva with big dreams and an even bigger heart. Yes, she was aware, and she wasn't dead.

So what was she? Asleep? If so where were the dreams?

She would hear things, faint noises, each time she heard something it became clearer each time. The first time the sounds where just muffled echoes, like the adults in Charlie Brown. The second time there was a pitch, soft but erratic…broken. Every time after that kept improving slightly more and more, the last time she had heard a sound it was a word, muffled and difficult to work out but she knew the word well, "Love."

Santana also felt things, at first it was just what felt like a gust of wind, she knew it was there but could tell from where, and then it was fire, burning across her whole body. After that it was just a soft thrumming. Every so often she would get the sensation she was being held, her whole body embraced, other times it was a gentle tickle on her palm. The last time she felt it was the strongest yet, and it evoked her own feeling within her body, she put all her mind and will into that feeling, and her finger twitched.

She didn't see though, it was only darkness, no matter where she looked, or how she shifted her eyes, there was nothing but the invading darkness that held her. It was both comforting and frightening at the same time, at first before she felt and heard, it alluded to death, the endless slumber that awaited everyone. Then the sensations came and she found that the darkness was comfortable, safe from the mysteries around her. That is until that impossibly clear word, and that achingly close feeling did she attempt to fight the darkness, and she won, but only for a few seconds, the light that had invaded her darkness was blinding, but as it cleared she saw a shadow, the shape was strange and blurry but something about it made her happy. The shadow moved and she saw felt something terribly amazing as she picked out a sharply defined image within the shadow. Two deep orbs of swirling chocolate brown.

Then the darkness won, took her back into its embrace, but now she was determined to fight the darkness, to look into those orbs again. Two eyes she knew almost intimately, eyes that brought a flutter of hope to her stomach.

_Rachel._

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><p><strong>Woo! That was crazy, totally intense to write, hope just as intense to read. Don't forget to review!<strong>

**Also don't get used to daily updates, they might start to get slower, just remember to feed me with your Reviews please ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Wow...4 chapters down this fast...I'm on a roll. -Ego inflates immensely- well this it, chapter 4 of Awaken, tell me what ya think. Also a side not, I don't know much about the court system so i put down what I thought would happen. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee, or any hot pockets T.T**

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><p>Rachel walked through the doors to the choir room with an infectious smile on her face. She had a skip in her step that caused everyone there to look at her with surprise, each of them had gotten used to the sullen Rachel that now only half-heartedly fought for solos and barely ever went against Mr. Schu anymore.<p>

"Who hit you in the face with the happy stick Berry?" Quinn asked a slight smile on her lips thanks to Rachel's face splitting smile.

Rachel just smiled wider and took her seat in the front row, waiting for Mr. Schu to arrive, as he was late as usual. That was really the only thing that hadn't changed even during the first weeks after the shooting. This of course slightly frustrated the blond HBIC but she let it go, it was obviously good news that Rachel was keeping and she would tell them soon enough.

Five minutes later Mr. Schu walked in and clapped his hands, "Ok guys, time to go over this week's assignment." He said with his usual amount of charm.

At this Rachel stood and abruptly walked beside Will and smiled. "Mr. Schu, if I may?" She asked, wanting the attention of the Glee club. He nodded and took a seat in the corner; his own curiosity peaked by the change in Rachel.

"I have the best news we have had in two and half months." She started, causing most everyone to arch an eye brow in confusion.

"Vocal Adrenaline just suffered the loss of half their dancers in a freak practice accident?" Artie said sarcastically.

"You finally decided to change your style from Argyle to…anything else?" Quinn commented with a slight smirk, both girls knowing it was all in good fun, having become closer through their shared time in Santana's hospital room.

Rachel laughed at the two and shook her head, which caused everyone to look at her with both surprise and shock.

"Last night, as per usual, I was spending my time with Santana, reading to her and crying, when around two forty five in the morning something miraculous happened." She started, watching the reactions of each person, they all shifted to quiet mourning to intrigue as she finished.

"Well what happened bro!" Puck shouted from the back row, "You're killing me with the suspense." This of course drew out many murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group.

"She moved! She even opened her EYES!" Rachel shouted, jumping slightly and clapping her hands.

All throughout the room everyone was silent, the shock from the news hand stunned each and every one, and then suddenly Brittany ripped from her chair with tears pouring down her eyes and embraced the tiny diva in a massive hug. This cause the preverbal flood gates to open and everyone was throwing questions around and at Rachel.

"Guys, guys, settle down!" Mr. Schu said, tears of his own light flowing down his face, give Rachel some space to explain the good news."

Rachel nodded her thanks to the teacher. "It was only a twitch of her pinky and her eyes opened for just a second and only for a moment, but it was confirmed that she woke up for a moment, but she did! Santana is wake up!" She finished, choking up near the end of her proclamation.

After a few minutes of answering questions Mr. Schu let everyone go home early to absorb the great news, each student leaving with a newly filled hope for the wounded cheerio.

That night Rachel found herself in the company of Quinn, Brittany, Kurt, Blain and Tina packed in the tiny room that held a sleeping Santana, each one talking quietly with one another and reminiscing about the Latina's past exploits, pranks and shenanigans. They had decided that with sectionals coming up they would all do songs that best fit the sleeping girls personality and dedicate their performance to her, weather she was awake or not.

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><p>That week, and following week after that, the New Directions agreed and worked on the songs they would sing for sectionals, each one better than the last and. The students became filled with such vigor that Mr. Schu even agreed that the practice would last en extra thirty minutes after school, none of the students argued the extension.<p>

Rachel spent more time with Santana, opting to do her homework and even eat sometimes, in the small room, watching her and waiting for that feeling in her gut to tell her something was happening, though it hadn't since the Latina's first notification that she was waking up. This didn't deter the young star in the making; if anything it only made her work harder, which in turn made her work everyone else harder.

Word of Santana's twitch had spread through school like wild fire; it caused the student body to be abuzz with rumors about the Latina's conditions. It also provoked Quinn to step up her anti-bullying movement, even being joined by Krovsky, who had suffered a bullet wound of his own, making it so he could no longer play football, this in turn had caused him to refine his conviction and come out to the school that he was gay. He had suffered for a while, but the ridicule had dropped after a week or two, and now he was actively together with one of the boys from The Warblers, whom Blain and Kurt had introduced him too.

All of McKinley high was celebrating the news of Santana's recovery, even if it was only just a slight twitch.

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><p>Santana was fighting, she hated the darkness now, and it wasn't as comfortable as it once was; now it was suffocating and invasive. It blocked out her memories and kept her from the brown eyes she had seen in her moment of freedom.<p>

She clashed with the black nothingness with all her might, fighting for ground in a mental war for the light, and slowly, ever so slowly she was gaining ground. The sound where clearer now, she could almost fully understand the noises around her. The voices she recognized filled her body with strength to keep fighting. She heard Quinn, Brittany, Puck, Tina, Mike, even a voice or two she didn't recognize, but the one that stood out the most was Rachel's. That voice was there almost every second of the Latina's fight.

She was also regaining some of her touch as well, she could now recognize what was being held, or touched, or poked, or kissed. She felt a hand squeeze hers, a finger caress her cheeks, a soft pair of lips on her cheeks. Each touch that she felt was another moment of force added to her battle, it made her want the light back so much it hurt.

Santana was exhausted though, her fight seemed to be lasting forever, and sometime she would feel so sleepy the darkness would sweep in and take her, causing the sensations to fade away into nothingness, causing her to again be surrounded by the cold empty void. But she wouldn't allow it for very long.

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><p>Friday was a dark day for William McKinley High. At two thirty today the sentencing of Jacob Ben-Israel would be carried out. The few students that showed up at school walked around with dark spirits, those that didn't either chose to sleep, brood, or attend the trail. New Directions had their own section at the trial, the group of misfits sitting together as a large family as the Jewish boy was called to stand.<p>

"Jacob Ben-Israel you have been accused and tried for four counts of homicide, and two accounts of attempted homicide." The judge said as the boy stood with his head hung. He then turned to the jury and nodded to them, "Jury have you reached a verdict?"

A short man in a black suit stood and cleared his throat then pulled out a piece of paper, "We have your honor. In the case of Jacob Ben-Israel versus the City of Lima Ohio we find the defendant...guilty of all charges."

The was small burst of noise as the crowd had started murmuring, some parents even shouting obscenities at the boy who had seemed to fall into himself, his shoulder bobbing erratically as sobs racked his body.

"Order, order in the court." The judge called out, slamming his gavel down a few times. Once the crowd had settled, and one angry father had been dismissed from the court room for almost charging at Jacob, he spoke with a firm conviction, "Jacob Ben-Israel you are hereby sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole, four years of which shall be spent in juvenile detention until your twenty-first birthday to which you will be moved into the Lima High Security Correctional Facility."

The judge slammed his gavel down in an act of finality as the bailiff and two police officers escorted the orange clad boy to his fate.

The crowd filed out slowly, the last to leave was the New Directions family, staying put until they were the last ones left in the court room. Mr. Schuster stood and addressed his rag-tag family.

"So, now that this is done, let's all head home and get some rest, it has been an exhausting week and it will be a longer weekend." He said his voice shaky but firm.

"I will be going to the hospital if anyone would like to join me." Rachel said quietly, getting nods from just about everyone there, except for Kurt, Blain and Sam, they each wanted to go home and rest the weariness away, but each of them promised themselves and Rachel they would visit during the weekend.

With that as a final note, the New Directions Glee Club of William McKinley High walked out of the court room heads bowed and hands held tightly against the storm of emotions.

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><p><strong>Can you believe the inspiration for most of this chapter hit me in the face while I was geeking out on Guild Wars XDD?<strong>

**Review please i need my hot pockets (my roommate said if i got at least 30 he would by me 5 boxes) X3**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Woo...this one was a bit tough to write, I knew I had to make this one perfect...this is as close as I got...enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own glee; otherwise Mr. Schu would have some BALLS and be more of a man than he is.**

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><p>Santana was winning, scratch that, had won, against the suffocating darkness that had clouded her mind. She still had yet to open up to the light though, something was telling her it wasn't the right time wet to embrace her life again. So instead she rested, her mind was exhausted and it needs rest after such a long war against itself. She slept soundly though, knowing that during her rest she would not be overcome by the darkness.<p>

The first thing she realized as she slept was that she was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming because she knew she hadn't woken up yet. So as she walked across the planes of her dream land she created and destroyed at her whim. Mountains would rise from the floor only to sink later and become fields of flowers, or streets lined with buildings and sidewalks filled with faceless people. She would be anything she wanted, a god, a mortal, a queen, a pauper, a citizen, a hero, an ex, a lover. She was what she wanted and she enjoyed it, but everything she had made all revolved around those two beautiful orbs of chocolate.

Wishing so hard in her dream those orbs had become part of every face she had imagined, they became a symbol in her mind, of what was waiting on the outside. She couldn't wait for that feeling to come again, when she could finally allow the light to claim her in its warmth, but she did any way, always remembering that on the outside of her mind waited someone she loved with all her being, every fiber of her body, and that person owned two endless pools of swirling brown.

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><p>Rachel was sitting quietly by the bed of her sleeping love interest, holding her hand gently as she watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. Shifting uncomfortably as images ran through her mind involving that very chest and her own hot tongue Rachel sighed and looked up at the clock. It was well past midnight, hell it was well past three in the morning, but she didn't dare fall asleep. Some itchy feeling in the back of her mind told her that what she had wait for half a year was coming soon, that every moment sitting and waiting was going to pay off soon.<p>

So she watched, her eyes drooping but her mind fighting against the invading need to sleep. Her mind lost, badly, as Rachel found herself having scattered dreams about mountains, and cities, and fields of flowers. She had dreams of being many different things; royalty, beggar, broken ex, whole lover, even one where she was saved by a super heroine.

She woke later that day in time to get ready for school, she grabbed her small bag that had a clean pair of clothing and her books, looked over at Santana in a half asleep stupor and smiled, then turned to walk out the door to start another long day at McKinley. As her foot was about cross the threshold of the room out into the hallway she stopped, frozen in place and heart racing. She slowly lowered her foot and took a deep shaky breath, crossed her fingers, clenched her eyes shut tight, and it her bottom lip so hard she tasted the metallic flavor of blood.

Steeling her nerves and nodding to herself, Rachel Barry slowly turned around to look back at the bed; she blinked once…twice…thrice...four times. Taking another deep calming breath, Rachel Berry slowly walked back into the room and stood over Santana, who had her eyes open, with a soft sleepy smile on her lips. Rachel let the tears flow down her face as she starred into the Latina's brown eyes, that where filled with a light that the tiny diva had missed for well over six months. She then proceeded to do something even she didn't see coming.

Raising her hand high she swung hard and slapped the girl across the face terribly hard, causing her head to shift violently to the left. Then gabbed Santana's chin tightly in her little fingers and spun her back to look at her, her own eyes claiming the Latina's, searching the pools of brown for any speck of doubt, or imagery that might betray this being a dream as she thought it was. When she found none, having only spent a second searching, she captured the lush full lips with her own and cried, her shoulder shaking with sobs as she held the girl, who had weakly lifted her arms to hold the crying Jewish princess as well.

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><p>Quinn Fabray was sitting on her bed, flipping through an old photo album that contained pictures of the best friends commonly known as The Unholy Trio. She smiled at one picture, laughed at another, ran a finger over a very special picture that took up an entire page by itself.<p>

In the past six months, Quinn had gone through a lot of changes; she had become the HBIC of protecting the halls of McKinley, came out to the school, found herself in a very loving relationship with Brittany, and had become friends with none other than Rachel Berry. It had all been so strange, but now after half a year spent living this new life, she couldn't imagine a better way to live…well she could. It was at that moment when something, some unknown feeling sparked in the back of her heart and her head shot up to stare out the window, in the direction of the Lima General Hospital.

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><p>Brittany was bubbly; she was dancing around her room and singing happily with Lord Tubbington. As she fluttered across the floor of her basement room her mind wandered into the happy corridors of memories of the past years. She remembered the moment she had met Santana and Quinn, and then how they had risen to the top of the school by become the best cheerios in the history of McKinley, then they had joined Glee and become part of a strange but loving family.<p>

She had found love in that family; it had been a great love, even if it ended badly. She would be the first to admit she had long since forgiven Artie for his mistake, she could tell he was absolutely heartbroken over what he had called her. She had found again that fluttering happiness with Quinn, and they had been together ever since, however she did really miss a very fiery member of the family.

Santana had been her friend for years, had held her tightly when she lost her father and cried for two weeks straight, had help her to understand the reason why the sky was blue, even given her the stuffed duck that sat proudly in the middle of her pile of pillows that she slept with every night. Santana had shared so much of her life with her that when she felt a familiar tingle in the back of her heart she started to laugh and smile harder then she had in such a long time, she knew, she just knew, that everything was going to get so much more better now.

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><p>Santana felt the tug she was waiting for, and she was lying in the arms of her dream lover when she heard a distant call. It wasn't like the sensations she had been having, this one was more of an internal strum of her heart. The light was calling for he, and she eagerly answered.<p>

When she first let herself be bathed in the light, she was blinded, and it stung so much! However she relished in the sting for a moment before her eyes adjusted to the white lights and walls of her hospital room, she knew two things for sure.

1) She had been asleep for a long time

2) She had to PEE!

In a moment though, all her thoughts where shaken when her gaze traveled across the room and she found her eyes resting on the back of a one Rachel Berry. She looked on as the girl walked to the door and stopped, her foot lowering slowly to the floor. She let her eyes travel over her body, her shapely legs and her taught butt (yummy) up her back and long waves of silky brown hair. She was captivated, but then she silently sucked in a breath when the girl turned around and she found herself gazing into the two endless orbs of chocolate that where the star-to-be's eyes.

She watched silently as the girl slowly walked over to her and looked at her, so many emotions passing over her face all at once; disbelief, joy, anger (?)

Santana summoned the strength to smile at the girl, soft and warm, then her eyes went wide as her face was twisted to the side as a resounding slap echoed through the room, she felt the sharp pain on her right cheek and felt tears well up behind her eyes. But then she felt her face roughly turned to look at the bronze diva as she searched for something, when Rachel found what she was looking for Santana found her lips being stolen by the tiny girls. She closed her eyes again as she drowned into the kiss, pouring everything she could into the simple, intimate moment.

When the girl started crying Santana reached up, using every bit of strength she could manage to wrap her arms around this wonderful and hold her as they kissed.

Santana had many things going through her mind at this moment, so many thoughts, and feelings and images, but only one held firm at the forefront of her mind…

She was _Awake_.

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><p><strong>WHEW! That was riveting! I hope you all like it! Up next is Santana's recovery, then eventual return to McKinley as well as the development of the Pezberry relationship.<strong>

**(I want to let you all know I had considered to end this fic right here, but something is telling me to keep going...so lucky you I am!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I have been without internet for a long while so please excuse mey lateness. But good news this chapter is my longest, plenty of time to write.**

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><p>Santana stared at the white washed walls of her hospital room in annoyance, it's been a week since her recovery from a six moth coma and she was ready to get out of the hospital. Unfortunately they refused to let her go, say she needed a few more day rest and they needed to keep her monitored, plus her dad (even though he wasn't her ACTUALL doctor as that is against hospital policy) wanted to keep an eye on her. So here she was, one week after waking up and getting both slapped and kissed by Rachel Berry, waiting for the singer to arrive with something that would either get on her nerve, in an adorably annoying way, or make her day better.<p>

She couldn't help but smirk at the memory of the day she had, 'accepted the warmth of the light.'

After who knows how long the tiny girl pulled away from Santana's lips used the back of her hands (that all of a sudden didn't seem so manly) to wipe away her flowing tears.

"Good morning Santana," The teenager had choked out, her throat sore from crying so hard. Rachel felt the tears in her eyes start to well up again but she too a shaky breath and stopped them before they reached the breaking point.

Santana had opened her mouth to say something but Rachel shook her head ad pressed a tiny finger to her lips, "Oh no, you don't speak, not until you have had something to drink." Rachel said and smiled, then stood and calmly walked out the door to get a bottle of water.

Santana waited only a few minutes, the entire time looking around to take in her room, Completely white, as per the norm of any hospital, with a T.V. in the corner of the room and her bed surrounded many different types of monitors and machines. When she heard Rachel walking in the room her face brightened and she smiled as she saw the tall figure of her father right behind her. He stood perfectly still, his arms slack by his side and his eyes blinking furiously as if he were trying to blink away a dream. Then he came rushing up to the recently awoken Latina and hugged her as tight as he dared to, whispering in words of fatherly love in Spanish to the girl.

Santana was pulled from her memory when a nurse walked into the room and smiled at her; she checked the monitors and replaced the IV then left, not saying a word to the Latina. Sighing softly Santana turned her attention to the small TV hanging in the corner of the room and grabbed the remote, tuning it on and flipping to nickelodeon she smiled like a three year old as she just caught the ending of the theme song to sponge bob.

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><p>Finn Hudson was many things, tall and simple being the most noticeable, however he was also very aware of the things going on at McKinley. Everyone assumed he was just too stupid to care but he listened; he heard things that most people would miss. So when rumors of Santana's death began to spread he was one of the few Gleeks to hear, (second only to Tina, who just…knew things.)<p>

This rumor was what had brought Finn to Rachel's house, to her front door, with a dozen flowers and a very apologetic face. Having finally come to terms with her being gay Fin had become a bro to Rachel, and he knew that if the rumors where true, she would be devastated.

So he knocked and waited for a few moments until Leroy opened the door.

"Finn, what a surprise, how are you…and what's with the flowers?" The tall black man asked. He moved to the side to let Finn in the door and smiled.

"They are for Rachel, I heard some rumors about Santana and wanted to make sure she was ok." He said and looked up when Rachel came bounding down the stairs, not at all devastated.

"Oh Finn, what are you doing here, and what with the flowers?" She said, her voice going back into the didn't-we-already-get-over-this tone.

"Oh, these where for you, I heard some rumors that Santana had…um…well…that she passed away...and I wanted to let you know that as your completely understanding bro…I was here for you." The large teen said holding out the flowers.

Rachel smiled and took them, smelling the Tiger Lilly bunch happily and laughed, "Oh Finn, your silly sometime, and I cannot believe you would fall victim to the mindless drabble of the teenage population at our school. However the thought was nice. Santana is actually still alive." Rachel said and started to chew her lip, putting on a contemplative look before nodding to herself, "In fact, and you have to PROMISE to keep this a secret…Santana woke up!"

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><p>Two hours later after Finn had gone home and promised several times to keep the news a secret, the large man found himself walking into the Latina's hospital room. When she heard the door open she looked over with a bright look, which quickly dimmed a little when she noticed who it was.<p>

"Hey S, good to see you alive and kicking," The boy said and scratched the back of his head, not really sure what had brought him to where he was.

"What are you here for Hudson?" Santana asked, turning her attention back to the TV, which was turned to Nickelodeon.

Fin walked over to the lone chair beside her bed and shrugged, "I just wanted to say hi I guess, I was told you woke up by Rachel, though she made me swear to keep it on the down low until she could tell Glee tomorrow. They will all be really excited to hear the new, especially B and Q, those two have been almost lost without you."

Santana smiled at that, she missed her two best friends, and she missed Glee. She couldn't wait to see them when she finally got out of this blasted place.

"So you said hi, what now?" The ex-cheerio said, turning her attention to the freakishly large seventeen year old.

"Well, I am here, and I am sure you have questions, not that Rachel can't answer them, and you know…I can answer some." Finn said and smiled.

Santana sighed and rolled her eyes, but she was getting bored with watching Nickelodeon so she started asking Finn some things about what all she missed while she was in a stated of unconsciousness. He answered everything he could, leaving something for Rachel of skirting around others, like how Britt and Arty where doing or what had happened with Kurt and Krovsky.

Finn stayed and talked with Santana for an hour or two before he had to leave for work. So he stood from his chair beside her, gave the girl a hug and told her he hoped to see her in school soon, and that he hoped it would be before they went to sectionals.

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><p>Santana spent the next thirty minutes thinking about some of the things Finn had told her, how the school had taken a more active role in bully prevention, how Quinn had started using her HBIC attitude to crush any bullies still active at the school, and more importantly, how Rachel had spent every moment in school she could raising money for the memorial that was being planned for the students that had died.<p>

Azimo Adams, Stacy Trite, Rick Smith and Lacy McQueen, each one of them a bully in their own right, Azimo was the only one Santana actually though had deserved it, the large football player had made everyone who didn't wear a letterman jacket feel like trash, and treated them as such. The other three, a cheerio, the hockey team goal keeper, and the girls lacrosse team captain respectively, had each done their fair share of bullying but not enough to deserve such a brutal fate.

After contemplating everything she had learned from Finn, who had surprised her in his general knowledge of the goings on around McKinley, Santana decided it was nap time and laid back in her hospital bed to catch some sleep before Rachel arrived, just the through alone sent her mind racing, and a familiar heat spread through her body.

Ugh…she couldn't wait until she got the all clear to go home.

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><p>Quinn Brittany and Tina had become close, Quinn and Britt started dating and Tina had found that she enjoyed the company of the blonds when Mike was busy teaching dance and she had no one to hang around with. She wonders if the two would have even considered being her friend had they not spent so much time together with Rachel beside Santana at the hospital.<p>

So there they were, sitting and chatting at Britt's house, talking about how Lord Tubbington had started smoking again and brainstorming ideas on getting him to quit.

"I think he needs therapy," Britt said nodding her head at the fat cat that rested in her lap.

"I don't know he might scare away the shrink." Quinn said, just going along with her girlfriend's silly talk about her larger than life cat, having long ago accepted the odd but spectacular way she sees the world.

Tina smiled at laughed lightly at the almost appalled look Brittney had on her face, it was really cute the way she scrunched her nose up at the thought and shook her head vigorously, causing her blond locks to fly around her like a halo.

Quinn joined Tina in laughter and Britt soon followed until they were all rolling on the bed clutching their sides. When the euphoria in the room had finally died down the girls where left gasping for air and staring at each other with ear splitting grins, Quinn and Britt inched close and started to kiss softly, Tina watched slightly jealous that Mike wasn't around. When the two broke apart they resumed their silly talk and went about the night, watching movies and swapping memories of school, laughing at the absurdity of high school.

The night was starting to wind down and the three girls where lying on Britt's oversized and supper fluffy bed, each one throwing out ideas for the upcoming sectionals.

"I think MJ would be great," Tina says putting on a final coat of clear nail polish, then moving her attention to Britt, who was nodding in agreement.

"Agreed, and I am sure S will be back in time as well." Britt said smiling at her girlfriend.

Quinn however looked forlornly at her blond counterpart and laid her hand on down on her knee, "Baby, S hasn't even woken up yet."

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><p>Rachel bounced on the balls of her feet eagerly, Santana's backpack at her feet stuffed with a few weeks' worth of clothing and toiletries. After three more weeks of monitoring and tests the Latina was finally being released from the hospital, and straight into Rachel's care. Well more like the care of Rachel's fathers but for all intents and purposes Rachel knew she would be the one caring for her. At the moment the bouncy star was waiting out in the lobby, having been barred from the cheerleader's room during the last hours of her 'captivity' on request of Dr. Lopez. This killed the diva but she understood because the man would not see his girl for more than half a month because he was going to Las Vegas to present a special case he had cured to some group of highly acclaimed Doctors.<p>

So she waited impatiently as the second, minuets, and hours passed by at a pace that made everything seem to drag out for a lifetime and longer. Eventually she moved to a chair and started humming Firework, her eyes closed as she waited. "That of my favorite Berry performances," a soft smooth voice said from Rachel's side.

The sudden noise caused Rachel to squeak in surprise and jump to her feet and turn to face the voice. Her face turned to one of absolute joy as Santana stood not more than three feet in front of her. The long black hair like silk hung down to her mid back from so long without being cut drew the diva's eyes across the Latinas body. Thin from so long out of practice but still held the shape and features of an athlete, betraying a possibility to get back to prime shape for Cheerios, the blue jeans Santana worse hugged her shape firmly though and her plain white T-shirt fell loose over shoulders, having to be a few sizes larger to comfortably hide the bandages that hid the last stage of healing that Santana's wound was going through.

Rachel's eyes finally moved up to Santana's face and she smile when she noticed the Latina's cheeks slightly red cheeks "Your eyes full from their feast?" Santana asked and bent down to grab her pack, which Rachel quickly grabbed for her.

"Oh no, you don't do a damn thing till we get home." Rachel said, surprising Santana with her choice of words. "Now start walking girl." The diva finished with a smirk and a wink.

Dumbly and despite her natural instinct to fight against anyone giving her an order, Santana started to walk and didn't come to her senses until she was already buckled into the passenger side of Rachel Berry's powder blue Prius.

"When we get to my house you only allowed to do three things," Rachel began as she started her car and pulled out of the garage and turned to head to her house, "Those being Shower, Eat, then go to bed. Understand."

Santana opened her mouth to protest but closed it when she felt Rachel's on her as they waited for a red light to turn green. She swallowed deeply, almost nervously, and nodded, the look in Rachel's eyes leaving no room for protest but at the same time filled with so many different emotions.

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><p>An hour and a half later Santana stood naked in front of the large viewing mirror in Rachel's bathroom, her stomach full of the most delicious food she had had since she woke up almost a month ago, despite the vegan nature of the meal. Dismissing the memories of the mouthwatering meal Santana examined her naked form. Her arms skinny and lacking the muscle she had worked to maintain, her legs weak and her ribs almost visible. She raised a hand to her chest, her fingers lightly brushing of the scar tissue from the bullet, then the surgery.<p>

A soft knock on the door brought the Latina from her thoughts, "Santana, can I get you anything?" Rachel's voice came from the other side of the door.

"No thanks Berry, I have everything I need in here." Santana replied and turned to the shower and turned on the hot water, adjusting the cold water balance out the temperature into the perfect heat for her shower. Stepping in the hot water and closing the curtain Santana sighed in soft pleasure at the first shower she has had in almost seven months.

The sigh however did not hide the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing, or of Rachel sitting on the floor beside the tub. Santana watched the diva's shadow on the curtain as the girl just sat silently. Oddly enough Santana didn't feel uncomfortable with this, her father had told her that Rachel had been at her side since day one of her six and a half months of being comatose.

So, smiling, Santana washed herself of seven months of grime, her body three times her hair four, and when she turned off the water Rachel stood from her spot on the floor and handed Santana a towel through the curtain. After wrapping herself up Santana pulled open the curtain and stepped out of the tub and stood looking at Rachel's back. She noticed the diva's short stature had grown a few inches but had retained every curve. The former cheerleader let her eyes wander over the short girls body, the shape of her legs and ass, the curve of her hips and waist, all the way to her smooth lines of her shoulders and neck.

Rachel felt the eyes on her back but she didn't dare turn around, she felt the pounding of her heart in her chest as the woman of her dreams, of her most passionate fantasies studied her from behind. The she felt her heart rate elevate to new heights as she felt two arms slide across her waist and wrap around her, holding her so her back was pressed against Santana's chest. "Thank you," was all she heard over the pounding of her heart, just barely a whisper against her ear. That simple action had Rachel's panties soaked through so much she swore it would show on her pajama pants. Taking a deep, shaky, breath Rachel started to turn to face the Latina but stopped when she just barely heard, "Not yet," over the blood rushing to her head. With a simple nod of understanding Rachel left the bathroom that connected to her bedroom and crawled into her queen sized bed, leaving room for Santana.

Santana stepped from the bathroom in her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of panties and a large T-shirt that fell to her knees, and crawled into Rachel's bed and closed her eyes. She lay like so for almost two hours until she finally allowed her dreams to over come her.

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><p>Two weeks passed and Santana found herself almost always surrounded by her friends. Once Brittany and Quinn found out she was not only awake but staying at Rachel's they found every excuse to be at that house, and since it was her house Rachel was a constant. Santana had tried explaining what it was like being in the coma; but there were no real words to express how it felt, and when she fell asleep, the nightmares came.<p>

Dark dreams and horrors invade her mind in torrents that left her in a cold sweat shaking in Rachel's arms and sobbing. Shades and demons stalk her in the night and make her relive that moment over and over. Each time different though, with something else going wrong. As of late it has been that same event over and over, watching the light fade away from Rachel's eyes, as blood pools under her and stains the Latina's hands and clothing.

This particular night it was by far the most real.

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><p><strong>And thats all she wrote, well...at least...when i had the tinsperation. I am glad for all the reviews i have had and faves and follows. I dont know when the next Update will be but cross your fingers for soon.<strong>


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